Afghan culture today creates obstacles for us, but when one of us stands up and shows that we can mark history again, we see a remarkable change in the perspective of our counterparts and society as a whole.

Marzia N. was born in Afghanistan in 1987, but from age four she lived in and finished high school in Quetta, Pakistan, where her family sought safety from the civil war at home. After the family returned to Afghanistan in 2005, she completed her university degree and married. She is now studying for an MBA degree. She wants to start her own business.

I am a woman who does not want to be judged for talking with my friends of a different gender, or for laughing out loud, expressing my ideas, fighting for my rights and going out alone. I am a woman who wants to get rid of the cage that limits my movement and my life.